City of Sin (Yanyu Jiangnan)

Showing Off

Yori’s eyes glinted coldly as he understood the situation. A legendary warrior like Ironshield was an ideal partner to every mage; even his own legendary subordinate wasn’t as good. However, such warriors never lacked companions, and only worked temporarily.

“I am Yori of Klandor, why don’t you join my side?” he suddenly declared, “I’ll pay you double whatever Richard is.”

The crowd instantly heated up. This declaration was humiliating to Richard, but it was also an easy temptation to anyone. Even if Ironshield rejected the invitation, Richard would still be insulted.

However, Richard just stood in place without any reaction, as though thinking about something. It was Ironshield that started laughing thunderously, “The barbarian actually understands that I was hired! But really, you mush-for-brains will never really know, do you. Double? You couldn’t afford me at the same price! Phoo, you think a few copper coins makes you rich?”

Yori froze up for a moment, watching the spittle on the floor right before him. His face turned green as he grabbed his shortsword, intending to attack immediately. As he turned back to look at Ensio, the bald mage just smiled and took a few steps back to make it clear that he didn’t plan on interfering— after all, Richard and Yori fighting would only be beneficial to him.

Yori glared viciously at Richard, his aura flaring up rapidly as a bestial roar rang through the tower. The totem warriors behind him pulled out their swords, preparing to attack.

Blackgold and Fayr immediately paled. To them, Richard was different from Sharon’s other students, he was the one who she loved with all her heart. They hurried forward in preparation to break up the impending fight; Richard was strong, but he seemed to be in a weird condition where he was daydreaming. Although Ironshield was a renowned defensive warrior, this was an awkward situation.

However, the two grand mages stopped after a single step forward, staring at the portal in surprise. Yori did the same, shivering as he felt three powerful auras surge out from within. Three silhouettes walked out in a row, and they were making it abundantly clear that they were all legendary!

As the light dissipated, the air turned freezing. Richard had four legends under him, an assassin, a mage, and two warriors! Each one was recognisable at first glance, renowned for their abilities in combat!

The three newcomers surveyed the situation before walking over to Richard’s side. Silence immediately covered the platform, all gazes focused on Richard’s entourage. Five legends in total… Even if Richard didn’t lift his hand at all, Ensio and Yori could only run away.

However, this wasn’t the end. The portal continued to flicker as more people walked through, headed by a mountainous two-headed ogre that was on the verge of becoming a legend. Tiramisu was almost six metres tall right now, and possessed enough strength to beat down a normal legendary warrior with ease. He could even take on two opponents at the same time. Behind him were Waterflower, Phaser, and Zangru. Although they didn’t look as intimidating at first glance, their auras were no weaker and they radiated the bloodlust of seasoned assassins.

The pressure from these followers exceeded even that from the four legends. It would be hard to determine the eventual victor in a four-on-four, but when all eight combined together their auras suffocated the others present. Ensio’s eyes were already flickering as he considered his escape plan; half of Richard’s team were assassins, and a lack of attention would get him killed immediately.

As for Yori, his expression darkened as he maintained his stance, not knowing whether to move forward or retreat. He was a legendary mage as well, and could likely retreat, but his nine subordinates would have no chance. From the looks of it, the only way out would be an alliance with Ensio. Thankfully, his peer seemed to understand this as well, floating over to show solidarity.

Richard was still in his own world, not even noticing Ensio and Yori. However, all attention was pulled away as the portal flashed one more time, saints walking out from within. Their auras differed greatly, but some of them had accrued a bit of fame in their lives and were guaranteed to become legends one day. There seemed to be an endless line of them; it took a full two minutes for all thirty to walk out.

And yet, the numb minds of the onlookers could only be jolted further. The light continued to flicker, rune knights now walking out as well. Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred, two hundred… Even knowing the Archeron supply of runes, the final number was a staggering 500! This was the same number of knights Emperor Charles had taken on his expedition to the abyss!

The rune knights took up a full half of the portal lobby, forming a crescent with Richard at the centre that surrounded everyone else on the platform. At this point, Richard could capture or kill everyone here in a single attack.

He finally woke up from his thoughts, sweeping his gaze across the people on the platform before saying gently, “I came here to show off my power.”

This sentence was suffocating when it came from his mouth.

……

Minutes later, Ensio, Yori, and the grand mages were sitting on the sides of the table in the conference room where the Deepblue’s meetings were held. Richard walked directly to the top, taking Sharon’s spot. Considering that this was an internal meeting, he had left his entourage outside.

Crossing his arms in thought, he waited until everyone was seated before lifting his head, “Some of you might have guessed it already, and others should have understood when I called this meeting. Master is in trouble, and I’m not even sure if she is still alive. All I can say is that there is still hope.”

Sharon was in trouble? All of the grand mages were stunned. Although they had been prepared for it, confirming their fears was another thing entirely. To them, Sharon was a symbol of invincibility; she could be annoyed, but she was never in real danger.

Ensio and Yori looked at each other, not saying a single word. It was obvious that they had already guessed it.

Fayr was the first one to calm down and ask, “Should we lock the news down?”

Sharon was the pillar of the Deepblue, the strongest supporter of Richard and the Archerons. Once she was in trouble, both the Deepblue and the Archeron Family would be in danger. Surrounded by three empires with conflict versus two of them, Richard could be attacked immediately.

However, Richard shook his head, “No, announce it. Just let Norland know that Master is in trouble.”

As he said this, Richard radiated a chilling bloodlust that caused the old professor to shiver. He then continued, “I’ll be taking over the Deepblue until Master returns. Nobody can touch a single thing of hers until then; I’m the sole owner of this tower.”

“Why does it have to be you?” Yori finally stood up in protest.

Richard just stared at him expressionlessly, but a flare of aura caused the barbarian to gasp. He answered calmly, “Because I’ll kill any little whelp that gets in the way, even a level 25 mage.”

Ensio’s chair cracked, almost falling apart. His demonic eyes locked onto Richard, “Level 25 mages aren’t that easy to defeat, are they? Don’t you need to look for the people outside or summon another batch of nightmare creatures?”

“Please, I only brought them to show off. A few swords are enough to deal with anyone here.”

“Oh?” the bald man’s eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled, “I’d really like to see you try.”

Richard completely ignored the killing intent, “You’ll die.”

Yori frowned at that statement, but Ensio himself just looked down in thought. The barbarian finally backed into his seat, but his expression was still grim. If even Ensio wouldn’t take on the challenge, he stood no chance.